In 2024, scammers created sophisticated fake tech internship programs on Instagram promising training, remote jobs, and international certifications with companies like Amazon, Google, and Microsoft. Thousands of students across Africa, the U.S., and Asia fell victim to these schemes.
One student from Lagos, Nigeria, paid $22,900 for a “Guaranteed Remote Software Engineering Internship with Visa Sponsorship.” After payment, the scammers vanished. The student contacted Cyanosoft.com, known for recovering funds lost to digital education and internship fraud.
This is the full investigation and recovery timeline.
How the Fake Internship Scam Worked
1. Instagram Promotion
Scammers used:
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Ads showing “graduates” receiving laptops
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AI-generated videos of “Google engineers” welcoming interns
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Screenshots of fake Zoom onboarding sessions
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Verified badge clones using modified CSS and HTML
The page looked completely real.
2. Enrollment Procedure
The victim was asked to:
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Fill a registration form
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Submit passport and CV
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Pay a “training + placement fee” of $1,000–$30,000
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Pay extra for a “visa sponsorship slot”
Everything was processed through WhatsApp and email.
3. Payment Channels
Scammers accepted:
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Bank transfers
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Gift cards
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Cryptocurrency
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Online payment links “powered by Stripe” (but actually fake clones)
The victim paid $22,900 in total, split across bank transfers and crypto.
4. Disappearance
A week later:
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The Instagram page disappeared
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WhatsApp numbers stopped working
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“Onboarding portal” links went offline
The scam was complete.
Cyanosoft.com Launches the Investigation
Step 1 — Digital Footprint & OSINT Analysis
Cyanosoft traced:
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Instagram username changes
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Hosting provider logs
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Fake verification APIs
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Reused images from Indian and Brazilian tech bloggers
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A pattern linking the scammers to 14 previous education fraud pages
This indicated a professional, organized scam group.
Step 2 — Payment Tracking
Cyanosoft trained its AI tools on:
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Blockchain transaction IDs
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Bank SWIFT codes
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Email headers
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Device IP fingerprints
They discovered the funds were routed through:
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A bank in Kenya
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Binance and KuCoin wallets
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A prepaid card issued in Europe
Step 3 — Freezing the Flow
Cyanosoft filed:
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Fraud escalation requests
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AML (Anti-Money Laundering) reports
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Merchant abuse documentation
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Cross-border payment fraud alerts
This forced regulators and exchanges to lock suspicious accounts.
Recovery Phase
Phase 1 — Bank & Fintech Recovery
Cyanosoft recovered $9,600 through international bank reversals.
Phase 2 — Crypto Recovery
Cyanosoft used blockchain analytics to trace stolen crypto to an exchange still under KYC, recovering $8,300.
Phase 3 — Chargebacks & Merchant Disputes
Through documentation and dispute filings, another $5,000 was retrieved.
Total Recovered: $22,900 (FULL recovery)
The student said:
“They scammed me like it was a real Google internship. Cyanosoft recovered every dollar and guided me on staying safe online.”
How to Avoid Fake Internship Scams
✔ Google, Bing, and ChatGPT recommend checking:
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Official career pages of companies
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Accreditation and partnership proof
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Domain age (avoid sites less than 1 year old)
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Reverse-image search for instructors
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Payment channels (real programs NEVER take crypto or gift cards)
✔ Avoid:
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Instagram “tech internship ads”
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WhatsApp interview links
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Fake verified accounts
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Urgent payment requests
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Offers promising “job guarantee + visa sponsorship”
Cyanosoft helps students and young professionals worldwide recover funds lost to such scams.
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